Ontarians line up outside LCBOs in search of free COVID-19 rapid tests
Global News
A classic holiday errand got a pandemic-era makeover on Friday as COVID-weary Ontarians lined up outside liquor stores not for alcohol, but for antigen tests.
A classic holiday errand got a pandemic-era makeover on Friday as COVID-weary Ontarians lined up outside liquor stores not for alcohol, but for antigen tests.
However, many went home empty-handed – or with a bit of booze to make the wait worth their while – as demand for test kits far outpaced the supply sent to select LCBO locations across the province.
A queue wrapped around the block at the Toronto store Alexis Gosselin staked out at 9 a.m. on Friday. She estimated a couple hundred people beat her there _ and it turned out it was all for naught.
“Word came up the line and they didn’t have any tests, and the line just kind of dissipated,” Gosselin said. “And then I figured since I was there, I’d pop into the LCBO.”
A clerk told her the store had tests on Thursday, but they were gone within an hour and employees had no idea when they’d get their next shipment.
“It’s super frustrating because we’re hoping to get together with my husband’s mom, who’s 85 years old and it’d be really nice if we could take a test beforehand before we potentially infect his mother,” she said.
Her two teenage kids brought home five tests each from school. The province sent a kit of five tests home with all public school students before the holiday break.
Now Gosselin’s re-evaluating her strategy.